The Wesley Hospital’s Infection Control Manager, Kathy Taylor, has heeded the call and organised staff  to line up and clean their hands on Monday 31 August.

“Hand hygiene, when performed correctly, results in a reduction of microorganisms on hands which reduces the chances of spreading infection.

“Here at the Wesley, we believe effective hand hygiene is the single most important strategy in preventing infection, so staff are literally lining up to participate,” she said.

According to the Guinness Book of Records the most participants in a hand washing relay is 1,410 achieved in April this year as part of a local government hygiene campaign in the rural Guntur district on the east coast of India.

Ms Taylor is hoping at least 240 staff will participate in The Wesley’s event with a two-hour time frame allocated.  However she said that the relay would continue until all those lined up have cleaned their hands, with each participant expected to take about 30 seconds.

The hand hygiene procedure recommended by the WHO takes between 20 to-30 seconds to perform and recommends cleaning hands regularly with soap and water and drying them thoroughly, or using alcohol-based handrub if there is no immediate access to soap and water.